Distribution of bacteria and nitrogen-cycling microbial communities along constructed Technosol depth-profiles

Technosol construction through assemblage of treated soil and recycled wastes is an innovative option for the restoration of degraded lands and re-use of industrial wastes. Recent studies have evidenced that Technosols could support soil functions such as primary production but the knowledge about other ecosystemic services, such as nutrient cycling, is limited. We investigated how the total bacterial community and key functional microbial communities involved in nitrogen cycling were influenced by the depth and type of Technosol. We found that despite being artificially constructed, Technosols exhibited a gradual change in microbial activity and abundance along the soil profile. Both nitrification and denitrification rates decreased with increasing depth as previously observed in other soil systems. Potential denitrification and nitrification were correlated with Technosol physico-chemical properties but also with abundances of nirS denitrifiers and bacterial amoA gene, respectively. The correlation between nitrification rates and bacterial ammonia-oxidizers suggests that bacteria are driving nitrification in Technosols. A-RISA fingerprints showed a distinct community structure along different Technosol layers. Technosol properties affected denitrification strongly than nitrification underlining the importance of better understanding the microbial communities in Technosols to maximize their potential for nutrient cycling, an essential ecosystem function.